Magical NIKKEI Pop-Up Dinner by Chef Daniel Urdaneta + Alan Wong

I had to pinch myself to check whether I was dreaming or if it was real.

Like a fairytale dream come true, NIKKEI emerged out of the thundering clouds early Wednesday evening and exceeded all expectations for a truly extraordinary pop-up dining experience. Not only were we blessed with absolutely the best weather known to Beijing, the two talented teams behind Mosto and Hatsune created something spectacular behind those linen curtains. As guests arrived on the 4th floor rooftop of Nali Patio, they knew they were a part of something special, feeling like they just walked into Beijing’s best kept secret.

Alan (L) & Daniel (R) Team Up for NIKKEI Pop-Up Dinner

In case you didn’t already know, NIKKEI is a pop-up culinary event concept between Chef Daniel Urdaneta (of Mosto fame) and Alan Wong (Hatsune restaurant group) combining Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. This may sound like a random, crazy combination but actually Nikkei is nothing new.

While Nikkei is a food trend taking London, Paris, Lima, Barcelona and Miami by storm, this is a cooking style that’s come to define Peruvian cuisine. While ceviche is Peru’s national dish, Peruvians didn’t actually use raw seafood as an ingredient in their cuisine until the Japanese diaspora migrated to South America and used their own cooking techniques to transform local dishes.

I think this Munchies article titled “Nikkei Is the Beautiful Love Child of Peru and Japan” explains it best –